South Carolina nabs top-rated JUCO defender Marquavius Lewis to bolster DL
Top-rated defensive end Marquavius Lewis temporarily stopped South Carolina’s 2015 recruiting class from hemorrhaging Wednesday when he chose the Gamecocks over Auburn on JUCO signing day, sticking to an original commitment he made to assistant coach Deke Adams in July.
The four-star pass rusher from Greenwood, S.C., notched 63 tackles this season with 20.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and 21 quarterback hurries at Hutchinson C.C. (Kansas) and will have two years to play two at South Carolina.
Lewis is South Carolina’s top player in the 2015 class (depending on who you ask) and is the nation’s best JUCO defender according to 247Sports.
Many feared Lewis would become the Gamecocks’ seventh recruiting casualty following Tuesday’s news of four-star cornerback Mark Fields’ decommitment, a decision that crippled the future cohesion of what remains a Top 15 class — if all goes according to plan.
Another highly-touted JUCO prospect, defensive tackle Dante Sawyer of Suwanee, Ga., who spent this season at East Mississippi C.C. in Scooba, is expected to sign in February.
South Carolina’s January early enrollees include defensive tackle Dexter Wideman, linebackers Ernest Hawkins, Sherod Pittman and Jalen Henry along with defensive back Darin Smalls. Three-star wideout Christian Owens signed his financial aid agreement on Tuesday.